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Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader Jämförande tidsstudie vid riskörning med kompakteringsskotare och traditionell "lätt" modifierad skotare Extraction of harvesting residues - Comparison between a forwarder with a special compression device and an ordinary, slightly modified forwarder
Abstract
This report is a thesis work for a B.Sc. in Forestry exam at the School for Forest Engineers, SLU.
The work was an assignment from Sydved Energy AB. The aim of the work was to compare the operational productivity between two kinds of forwarders for extraction of harvesting residues, one forwarder with a special compression device and one ordinary, slightly modified forwarder.
Two sites were studied for each forwarder. The study shows that the annual production was about 11,000 m3 higher for the traditional forwarder. The cost for the traditional forwarder was SEK 0.9 lower per m3. Higher annual production and a lower cost for the ordinary forwarder makes it hard to justify an investment in a forwarder with a special compression device.
The competition for Norway spruce pulp wood in Central Sweden increases, forcing the supply-structure of Holmen to face two important challenges. Firstly, it is of the outmost strategically importance to secure the long-term supply of Norway spruce pulp wood to the industries. Secondly, Holmen desires to increase the obtainable volume of Norway spruce pulp wood. This would enable the company to choose volumes in the lower price-segments and thereby decrease the dependency of costly marginal volumes.
As this work shows, one part in managing these challenges could be to lower the quality standards concerning root rot (Heterobasidium annosum).
Facts presented in the work shows that:
1. Technically, the TMP-industry of Braviken can handle a much more rotted pulp wood than that used today, although the cost of refinement increases. As a result of an increased acceptance of rotted wood the supply-cost ought to decrease. The reductions of the supply-costs will probably overcompensate the increment of processing-costs. To assure the theoretical conclusions of this work to be correct, a limited practical trial is recommended before the changes are carried out on a full scale practice.
2. The assortment barrmassaved (mixed coniferous pulpwood) contains a large amount of Norway spruce pulp wood that could be used at Holmens Norway spruce pulp wood consuming industries using the quality requirements of today.
3. The most impressionable factor in changing the flow of Norway spruce pulp wood from barrmassaved to the assortment used at Holmens industries Braviken and Hallsta is probably the behavior of operators of the harvester/forwarder. Two steps meant to change their behavior are presented. Firstly, a redistribution of the economical incentive for sorting is proposed. Secondly, an increased rot-tolerance at the industry is recommended. Thus, the rot-tolerance during harvest and sorting is estimated to approach the economically optimal tolerance-level.
4. There are strong strategically and economic reasons for lowering the quality standards concerning root rot. With reservations for simplifications and sources of error it is estimated that:
1. Transporting the extra volume to Braviken would cut the total cost by 2,9 million kr/year.
2. If 45 % of the extra volume is transported to Hallsta, the total cost would decrease by almost 9 million kr/year.
3. By using a stricter sorting, Region Norrköping could lower the amount of Norway Spruce in the barrmassa sold to the Skärblacka industry. If that amount could be halved from todays 60.000 m3fub to 30.000 m3fub and the sorted Norway Spruce be transported to Hallsta, the total cost would be cut by more than 2 million kr/year.
Forestry has three main aspects to take into consideration today; economical, ecological and socio-cultural. In order to reach the broad policy goals for sustainable forest management, an increased variety of management approaches are requested. Today clear-cutting is the only method used in 96 % of the managed forests in Sweden. The Swedish National Board of Forestry has therefore initiated a project in order to investigate and develop Continuous Cover Forestry (CFF). This study is a part of this project. The aim was to increase the knowledge on how much different stakeholders knew about CCF, the practical prerequisites and the attitudes related to inclusion of CCF in their management. Interviews were made in two different Swedish forest-regions, Bergslagen in the south and Västerbottens län in the north. Semi-qualitative data was collected from 22 Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners (NIPF), representatives for forest commons, forest companies as well as professional foresters.
When talking to the local stakeholders a “bottom-up-approach” was used in order to increase the understanding of how policy intentions can be transformed into practical action. The results showed that the respondents had knowledge about CCF, but mainly about the management methods that were common before clear-cutting was introduced. Most respondents saw CCF more as nature conservation rather than a way of management. The practical possibilities were rather good. The main problems seemed to be profitability, and lack of experience. The attitudes varied strongly. Most respondents agreed on that socio-cultural and ecological values would increase with CCF. Half of the respondents thought that it would have negative impact on the economy, while the rest thought that CCF could, at least partly, improve the economy. Only two respondents were positive to the Swedish forest policy with equal environmental- and productions goals. A clear difference between the two areas was that more respondents in Bergslagen had other goals than economical with their forestry. To implement a policy into practical action it is important to have knowledge about the target group, in this case the forest owners. A forum is needed, where stakeholders can meet and discuss forest management.
This Master thesis is performed at the request of the forest company Mellanskog and the local municipality of Borlänge in Sweden and aims to establish recreational adjusted forest management plan for the areas of Mellsta and Skräddarbacken in Borlänge.
In all types of urban forestry it is very important that the management plan are accepted by the general public. To make sure that also these plans of future measures, pass in the public, interview studies have been performed in which the public wishes and interests have been examined and applied in the management plan.
To make sure that future measures in the forest may be accepted by the public when the forest harvester enters the woods, it is very important that a well functional work of information has been made. The people living close by the forest shall have been informed a couple of weeks before the time of measures and it must also be good information available that explains what is to be done and why.
The forest in Mellsta is very popular among the citizens of Borlänge and many tenth of kilometres of paths and jogging tracks crowd in the area that reach an amount of total 37.5 hectare. Mellsta is visited by people from all parts of Borlänge and they come in most cases to exercise. The forest contains exclusively of trees older than 65 years old and mostly of pine. To make sure that the good qualities, concerning recreation, is secured for all future the management plan aim to, over many years, create a more divers mixture of age among the stands without destroying the forests important qualities from a enjoyment pint of view. In the plan two rejuvenationcuttings and a number of thinning measures has been proposed during the upcoming 10 years.
The forest in Skräddarbacken is a less used urban forest. The area is about 30 hectares big and is mostly used by the citizens of Skräddarbacken and Stora Tuna spots association. The forest varies much concerning both age and treespices but the characteristic of the is much based on the rather large areas of old spruce which during the following years ought to be regenerated. During the following 10 years a number of management measures have been suggested in the area that will change the character of the present forest. But hopefully the measures wont change the recreational qualities in large extent.
This Masters Thesis includes a survey of recreational habits and the attitudes towards forests of the people of Sätra, a suburb of the city of Gävle. The study also includes the planning and design of a forest suited for education in the same part of the city. The thesis is a part of a project called Tätortsnära skog, commissioned by the Swedish forest agency. The project aims to survey the recreational habits of the general public in the regions of Dalarna and Gävleborg. Tätortsnära skog is focused on cities with a population of more than 20 000 inhabitants, of which Gävle, Sandviken, Falun and Borlänge all fall within the category. For this thesis Gävle was chosen with a concentration on Sätra. Sätra was chosen as some local schools had expressed interest the amenity of a local forest suited to education of the local children. The particular suburb is also of interest due to the surrounding forests and the planning of the residential areas close to the nature.
The methods used for the study behind this thesis were a mail survey and interviews. The questionnaire was sent to 400 randomly selected inhabitants of Sätra in early summer-time 2005. The response rate was 221, or 56 %. The questions in the survey were mostly conclusive and dealt with the subjects of background, recreational habits and values of the citizens, both in general and specific for Sätra. The interviews were held at four schools in the neighbourhood. The individuals interviewed were both teachers and children and the meetings were held both out in the forest as well as inside the school. The aim of the interviews was to create a clear view of how to form and shape a forest suited for education. The project also aimed to show and find suitable activities for learning and playing in the forests, from information obtained in the interviews and the literature.
The forest areas of Sätra are classified as neighbourhood recreational areas with a high and frequent rate of visits by the citizens. The survey in this study showed that typical visitors of the forests are mostly alone, or in company of a family member or friend, and the typical visit lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. They usually walk to the forest as all local people of Sätra live close to the nature. The most frequent activity of visitors is walking, mostly on paths, jogging tracks or bicycle lanes. The most popular place to visit is the forest area located northeast of Sätra containing several paths and jogging tracks. This type of easy accessible nature is in great demand from people living in Sätra. They also want more information about activities and possibilities of the forest areas in the neighbourhood. The citizens of Sätra also further value the experience of calmness and privacy in the forests.
With the results of the mail survey it was possible to make a recreation opportunity spectrum analysis concerning Sätra. This involves planning and adjusting the forests and forestry activities for the visitors. In particular it is important to adapt the areas of the forest close to buildings, while in more distant or randomly visited areas a more conventional forestry is sufficient. More signs showing information and directions in Sätra. These signs are an easy way to inform the people of Sätra about which opportunities there is, concerning recreation and nature locally.
A forest suited for education should be of a simple and basic structure. In this thesis a path with a distance of about 2,5 km was created with the intended use as an educational tool. The track is located in the forest area west of Sätra. Along the track there are several stations, each with a special question or task. These consider subjects such as forestry, different species of trees or plants, animals, nature conservation, soils and mathematics. The forest area has also been modified to satisfy the need of play and movement of the children.
Swedish forestry has a long and successful history of developing sustained production of wood. Consequently silviculture is dominated by clear-felling approaches, despite the fact that Swedish forests are ecologically and culturally diverse. A considerable proportion of our naturally dynamic forests were Continuous Cover Forests (CCF). CCFs were also a part of the pre-industrial cultural landscape. Both the natural and the cultural landscape CCFs are today threatened and their area extent does not satisfy the new dimensions of sustainable forest management as biodiversity conservation and socio-cultural values.
In this study I estimate the past and present amount of two natural and one cultural CCF types in two study areas using several different approaches at two different spatial scales. The results are compared with the silvicultural practices in the two areas located around two important biophysical and socio-cultural transition zones in northwest and south-central Sweden.
My results show that in our present landscape 9 to 10% of our forested land is potential wet and dry CCF sites. In addition to this there is a portion of high altitude CCF with moist oceanic climate in the Scandinavian Mountains. However, of all potential CCF sites in the southern study area only 0 to 6% remains. In the northern study area the proportion left was slightly higher at 0 to 17% of the potential, except for the high altitude CCF where the decline was less. It is clear that this difference between the study areas is due to the later arrival of the timber frontier in the north. Present management practices on different site types indicates that the situation will be the same as in the south in a few decades since Swedish forest management exercises limited consideration in different site types to maintain CCFs. To match the natural diversity of forests and to satisfy all three dimensions of sustainable forest management there is a clear need for developing alternative forest management methods in Sweden.
Because of the large economic growth in China there are many companies who have economic interests in the Chinese market. Also in the forest market companies have started to invest in China and the interest for the market is growing. The question is how the Chinese forest market will develop in the years to come? How will China’s entry on the market of forest products affect the global forest market?
The purposes of this study are to describe production, consumption and trade of forest products, and China’s possible competitive advantage in the forest industry. The purpose of this study is also to describe how China’s entry on the forest market affects the world market of forest products. The study is based on a couple of different theories such as competitive analyzes, trade- and investment theories. The theories have then been analyzed with data, collected from the Internet, and interviews.
The conclusion of the study is that the production of forest products in China will expand as the production capacity increases. A problem for the production is the lack of raw material, which will result in a large import. China’s total import of forest products will still not increase considerable much because of the expansion of the domestic production. The investments in the Chinese forest industry will continue as long as the market is expanding and the returns on investments are good.
Spain has been the geographical area for this work, where Spanish Wood Products transformation sector have been studied. Spain has been divided in 6 different geographical units, which include the peninsular territories plus the Canary and Balears Islands.
The Spanish Wood Products Manufacturers have been defined like the addition of activities regarding to wood and cork industries (sawmilling, board and panel production, wood structures and joinery carpentry, packing and other wood products and non-wood forest products) plus furniture manufacturing.
For these activities data have been collected from two official online databases, the INE and Customs Authority one, from the year 1998 to 2003. The basic structure of the wood manufacturers has been described using densities and concentration values. In addition economic data have been used to obtain the sector contribution to the Spanish national economy.
In a second part of the document, the main import and export movement of the sector have been described. Extra information has been collected for a group of five countries. These countries are: Chile, Finland, France, Sweden and USA, these countries were chosen by the important share of the Spanish wood products importations.
Different results have been obtained for each of the geographical units, activities and the sector as a whole. The highest densities and concentrations of sawmilling and wood board and panels manufacturing were for the north-east units, while values for carpentry activities were higher in the north and the Canary Islands. In the case of packing industries the sector high value in the Ebro axis and other wood and NWFP products values were bigger in the Mediterranean Coast. Furniture manufacturing had high values in all the Spanish territory, but they were higher in the Central, South and East areas.
In year 2003 1.4 billions of euros of furniture products were imported by Spain, which was the same value of the furniture products exported by Spain. Among the other products, sawmilling and wood board and panels products had a key position with an importation value of 900 and 500 millions of euros, also in the year 2003. In the case of exportation of Spanish wood products, wood boards and panels had a value of 400 millions euros, while the share of the other activities was lower.
This thesis is built on a field study that was carried out in two seed-tree stands near by Götbrunna in Uppland, Sweden. The aim was to examine if scarification carried out in spring time could generate a more dense seedling establishment when using natural generation, than scarification carried out in autumn. It was also investigated whether there were differences in mortality the first season between the two plot-types. Plots were established block-wise with 50 blocks (pairs) on each site. The spring scarification was made with a hoe during 22-23 of April. The shelterwood densities were 120-130 stems ha-1 and the seedfalls were registered by five seed-traps in each stand.
The seedfalls started in April and were completed in early June. The most intensive seedfall occured during the first half of May. There were large differences in registered seedfall amounts between the two stands, which most likely could be explained by differences in tree-crown sizes and influence from wind.
Scarification in autumn clearly affected seed germination and establishment positively, probably due to many factors. The spring plots were not exposed to as many seeds as the autumn plots as a consequence of that the scarification was carried out after the seedfall had started. The autumn plots could during dry periods offer a better water uptake due to a higher degree of compactation. The germination and seedling establishment were significantly improved in exposed mineral soil compared to humus and the amount of exposed mineral soil was 8-10 percentage units higher in the autumn plots than in spring plots. The frequency of plots without seedlings (0-plots) were 38 and 44 %, respectively. There was no significant difference in mortality between the plot-types. In total 6 seedlings died during the first season.
According to this study, scarification in autumn is to be prefered compared to scarification in the following spring. Except from the lower degree of seedling establishment, ground frost and snow can delay scarification in the spring, which leads to that a significant part of the seedfall gets unutilized.
During last 2000 years dramatic changes have occurred in Europe and many features of old forest have been lost or declined. The primal goal of many plantations in Europe has been for many decades to provide wood and not much attention was paid to other aspects of forestry. The changes in European forests and introduction of intensive plantations with clear-cuts had tremendous impact on biodiversity. During the early 1990s concern for the loss of biodiversity was introduced on the political agenda and the global processes promoting restoration and maintenance of forest biodiversity started. The term sustainable forest management has become popular and new guidelines for multiple-use forest management were created. One of the major goals of sustainable forestry is restoration and maintenance of high biodiversity and the management activities should be adjusted to the needs of nature conservation. Throughout the development of international policy focused on biodiversity, the need for tools for assessment and evaluation of forest diversity has arisen. Different assessment methods have been elaborated and tested. One of the biodiversity assessment method developed and used in Sweden is the “Assessment of Forest Biodiversity Potential” (Drakenberg and Lindhe, 1999), here called “The Swedish assessment”. It is a method of indirect assessment of biodiversity, which is based on disturbance regimes in the forest. The main objective of this work was to investigate if the Swedish assessment could be used in Poland and if this kind of assessment is needed in Polish forestry. The literature review was conducted to find background information on biodiversity and methods of its assessments in Europe, forests in Poland and Sweden and forestry and nature conservation in Poland. The Swedish assessment was used during the field work in Poland. The Swedish assessment was applied in 25 stands in three Polish national parks (Drawa, Kampinos and Pieniny). Poland and Sweden are situated in the same geographical region and have similar climatic conditions, apart from the northern part of Sweden. Both countries are located in the same vegetation zones (apart from the Boreal zone that covers northern part of Sweden). They are characterised by the same types of forests and the same disturbance regimes, however in different proportions. All the main forest types occurring in Poland and Sweden could be classified into one of the six forest categories of the Swedish assessment. Therefore the assessment can be used in both countries. Nevertheless, some adjustments are needed for the Polish version of the assessment.
There is no regular assessment of biodiversity potential of forest areas in Poland. The new protection areas can be created when some organisation, institution or private person report area that they consider as worth of being protected. Before, a detailed documentation describing values of the area must be prepared. No system of assessment of the biodiversity potential similar to the Swedish assessment was found in Poland. All evaluations of the values of forest areas are based on the descriptions of the stands. The author believes that the Swedish assessment could be a useful tool of selection of valuable areas in the managed forests. It could be included into programs of nature conservation in forest districts. The assessment could also be an indirect tool of management and an education tool for foresters. It could also be a help in selecting NATURA 2000 areas. The author suggests a step-wise introduction of the assessment in Poland, starting with workshops introducing the method and continuing with a project of implementation of the assessment in the whole country. Along the way more research on the use of the Swedish assessment in Poland should be carried out. Some adjustments are needed if the Swedish assessment is to be used in Poland. Some of the investigated stands were out of the scope of the assessment. Probably new forest categories would have to be created for Polish conditions (for example fir dominated stands). Fire is not a main disturbance regime in Poland, therefore some questions in the Swedish assessment concerning fire are not relevant. The author also suggests that questions in the assessment should be different for lowland and mountain stands. The stands chosen for the assessment had high conservation values. The assessment carried out in the stands also gave a high score to all the stands. This confirms that the assessment could be used in Polish high value forests. There were differences between scoring in various forest categories. For example 14 – 15 points means high value in the F category (fire adapted pioneer tree forests, usually with pine), whereas in W category (forests influenced by water, usually with alder) 18 – 20 points means high value of the forest. In general, the lower score in particular categories, the lower the age of the stand. It is understandable, since many features crucial for biodiversity occur only in older stands. The most common features in the investigated stands were features from the “dead wood” group. This result is surprising, since, according to Polish research, dead wood is missing in Polish national parks. Only three out of 23 national parks were chosen and 25 stands were investigated, therefore results may not be representative for the whole Poland, however they can give some insight into features common in Polish national parks.
The aim of this work is to demonstrate how the net present value (NPV) at the time of the first thinning depends on the spacing after pre-commercial thinning, and show how net value from first thinning in same stand is influenced.
This study is performed with models based on non-distant dependent growth models for single trees. Two different growth models have been used, one for cleaning (pre-commercial thinning) and one for thinning. The first one yields stem density distributed over diameter classes. In the second one, (the thinning model), it is possible to choose when thinning should be done, the thinning method, thinning grade and numbers of thinning. Growth functions that are not influenced by thinning are applied. The models have also been used in project “Hugin”.
The rate of interest used at the calculations, the silviculture and quality aspech are also discussed.
The conclusion of this project is that it might be reasonable with more information about the importence of different spacings for the NPV under different rates of interest. According to the results in this study, it also might be conceivable to make a reduction of recommended stem density before first thinning in “The Royal Boards’ (Skogsstyrelsens) template for thinning”, (when rate of interest is 2 %), especially for spruce.
The reduction of recommended stem density before first thinning is in the region of:
Pine
T20: 0
T24: 100
T28: 500
Spruce
G24: 500
G28: 600
G32: 600
G36: 600
This study do not consider that a lower stem density gives higher cleaning cost.
When the Swedish Forestry Act was changed in 1994, brushing of young stands became non mandatory. Since then the annual need for brushing in the country has increased by about 100 000 hectares per year. In later years the price for biomass energy has increased to the same level as pulp wood. The high price on biomass energy and the large areas of stands in the need of brushing has created a new market with its own technical, economical and environmental conditions. There is a development of various techniques to manage the forestry stands with late brushing.
The purpose of the study is to assess the strategical and operative consequences of four different supply chains, which handle biomass energy from mechanised brushing to the landing at the gates of the heating plant.
The demand on biomass energy is strongly correlated to the cold season of the year. In order to keep a steady supply flow a minimal level of storage was assessed.
The results show that a supply chain with chipping at the landing and transport straight to the heating plant has the lowest cost. This supply chain has no easily accessible storage. Supply chains with terminal chipping has the ability to meet fluxes due to seasonal changes, bad weather and it to minimise road damage during thawing of frozen gravel roads. A supply system based on a combination of 75 % of the yearly demand from the cheapest supply chain and 25 % of the yearly demand from a system with storage capacity, gives a low cost and high stability in production. Compared with the cheapest supply chain, the combined system gives an increase in the total cost of only 3 % or 5 % depending on the technique used for chipping.
The supply of raw materials has always been an important issue in the Swedish Forest industry. Buying timber from local suppliers is important. To ensure raw materials to their industries the forest company must offer good prices and good business deals to their suppliers.
The aims with this work are to find out how the contact between private suppliers of raw materials and how the forest company can be developed.
To be able to do a complete study of the problems connecting with this subject a quality interview study has been done. Totally 12 suppliers of raw material was interviewed. Collection of data has been done with 12 different interviews. Just suppliers to one single forest company that are in this study, the suppliers deliver a minimum of 1000m3fub per year and all the suppliers are situated in the middle of Sweden. The basis of the interviews was a SWOT-analyze done together with some of my student colleagues at SLU.
During the work with the interviews, a literature study was done in the subject Silviculture, interview work, business strategy and economy.
The result shows that the form of business agreement between the supplier and the forest company works good. It is important that the business runs smooth and the quality of the thinning or other silvicultural methods is good. Some of the suppliers said that the local contact person from the forest company is more important than the actual company. The suppliers in this study are not sensitive to price fluctuations of pulpwood and timber. They do annual cuttings anyway. The buyer of the forest company has an important role in giving forestry advice to the suppliers, and it is mainly advise in forest and forest economy that the suppliers are interested in. The buyers need to improve their skills in forest economy to be able to give better advice.
The suppliers don’t feel that they have full control of the timber from their forest. The accounting of logs delivery must be better.
Good knowledge about the decision situation of the private forest owner, and to give adapted advice to the forest owner, and the buyer can be more successive in his work.
This final thesis is initiated by the wood fuel department at the Swedish forest company Sveaskog as part of a project which also involves two other final thesises. The overall goal of the project is to investigate Sveaskog´s possibilities to produce and sell different wood fuel assortments in Västerbotten and the southern parts of Norrland. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how much wood fuel Sveaskog can produce in the area during the next five years and what that would cost. Furthermore the thesis will investigate the total possible supply of wood fuel from all other possible producers in the area. Treated assortments are forest residues from final fellings, whole trees from direct wood fuel thinnings, non industrial wood and industrial by-products from sawmills.
The main effort to investigate Sveaskog´s production possibilities has been made to calculate the possible annual amount of forest residues and fuel from wood fuel thinnings that can be produced. New functions have been developed that estimate the biomass of branches and needles from stand variables. The new functions have been applied on a selection from Sveaskog´s inventory together with a model that estimates the amount of fuel collected in different terrain types in order to calculate the approximate wood fuel potential. Compartments that were selected from the inventory are either planned for final felling during the next five years or suitable for direct wood fuel thinning. Information about the amount of non industrial wood and by-products from Sveaskog´s sawmill were collected directly from the company. Sveaskog´s total potential to produce the studied assortments in the area amounts to 1084 GWh annually. In round figures the production in Västerbotten will be 690 GWh and 394 GWh in southern Norrland. Forest residues make 72 % of the total potential, whole trees from wood fuel thinnings 13 %, by-products from the sawmill in Malå 12 % and non industrial wood 3 %.
The investigation of the total wood fuel potential from all possible wood fuel producers in the area was made by putting together and reworking data from earlier investigations. SKA 99 was used to estimate the potential of forest residues and whole trees from wood fuel thinnings, Såg 2000 to calculate the amount of by-products and statistics from SIKA to estimate the overseas import of wood fuel to the coastal line between Haparanda and Gävle. The total easily available wood fuel potential in the area amounts to12,9 TWh annually, import and fuel from wood fuel thinnings excluded. Forest residues make 82 % of the total potential, by-products from sawmills 16 % and non industrial wood 2 %. The import of different assortments that may be used as wood fuel amounts to ca 2-4 TWh per year.
This study was carried out in the two villages of Buena Vista and Santa Teresa, department of Jinotega in north central Nicaragua. The purpose of the study was to investigate farmers’ attitudes toward timber trees and forests, and to investigate the occurrence of tree species with high timber value in the area. The study shows that people consider the forest to be important for both biological reasons and as an area for extraction of different products, among those timber is one. Today there are only a few farmers who are selling timber, and when it is done it is to some one in the neighbourhood. The study also shows that there is a lack of those tree species with the most valuable timber. On the other hand less popular tree species with good timber properties are abundant. There is a possibility to expand the use of the well-known valuable species: however, the risk is higher and the establishment more difficult than using species that exist today and regenerate in an easy way, for example the laurel, Cordia alliodora. It is possible to extend the cultivation of trees in the areas where coffee today is grown, but it is also possible to establish areas primary used for the cultivation of trees. The way that the forest act is written today makes it hard for small farmers to use their forest resource in a legal way.
The purpose of this thesis is to study whether there is a demand for sawn wood products of large dimensions and planed goods among Wallnäs AB:s customers. The thesis consist of two main parts, one survey among Wallnäs present customers and another one which purpose is to increase Wallnäs customer base. Finally there is a chapter that describes what properties the raw material has to have in order to produce the demanded products.
The survey to the present customers was conducted through a questioner. A sample of those who stated an interest for either sawn wood products of large dimensions or planed goods, were later contacted for a telephone interview.
To reach out to new customers, relevant companies has been identified through the Swedish Trade Councils data base and through the member list of the Timber Trade Federation. By doing a literature study and through interviews with the personal at Wallnäs, i’ve gained the information behind the chapter concerning prerequisites for the raw material and the production of sawn wood products of large dimensions.
The results show that there is a significant demand for sawn wood products of large dimensions, primarily whitewood. I refer to sawn wood products of large dimensions as 250-300 mm in width and 50-100 mm in thickness. During the interviews with the interested companies I’ve learned that the main use of the lumber is in construction. The demand that construction lumber sets on the wood is primarly firmness. To acquire this, the timber has to be slow growing with a small yearly increment and have the same fibre direction throughout the wood piece.
Among the new customers that I’ve managed to establish contact with, British companies dominate. Most of the companies are intressted in buying sawn wood products of standard dimensions, but also planed wood products.
Forest fires have been an influential disturbance on the flora and the fauna both in the Boreal and in the Mediterranean regions. Through this project, it has been shown that this problem is very different from one region to the other. In the Boreal region, there is a lack of forest fires due to the intense and efficient fight against them, which may result in a less diverse flora and fauna. In the Mediterranean region the forest fires burn every year a large surface, sometimes even jeopardizing people’s lives.
This enormous difference is mainly due to climatic and socio-economic factors. In Boreal
regions, the main cause for forest fires is lightning ignition, while in the Mediterranean region it involves just a low percentage of the total forest fires; most of them are caused by men, with a high incidence of arson due to different conflicts.
Once that the forest fires are not any longer a problem in the Boreal region, the use of
prescribed burning has received a renewed interest. By mean of this, it is tried to favour the different fire-adapted organisms and to create favourable conditions for forest regeneration.
Different studies have shown the benefits of the forest fires for the regeneration of several species. The present goal for forest companies, as expressed in their policies and in the forest certification criteria, is to burn a specific amount of land. It is likely that in the future, emphasis will shift towards obtaining maximal ecological gains with the aid of fire. The problem of fire management is not to abolish fire but to establish its proper proportion, to reconcile fire use with fire control. What this means specifically will vary with the specific purposes of specific lands. Within the Mediterranean region the current situation is completely different. Despite all the
efforts made and all the money invested, forest fires keep on being a serious problem. The
number of forest fires is increasing every year, although the total area burnt is slightly
decreasing. Even though a big effort is being made throughout this entire region, forest fires still spread over large surfaces every year. Throughout this project, I have also gone through the different ways of fighting forest fires, from the prevention to the extinction, and some of the new technologies that are already being used.
Tillämpning av naturvårdsavtal. Application of nature conservation agreements. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- J Loré
Loré, J. 2005. Tillämpning av naturvårdsavtal. Application of nature conservation agreements. Institutionen för skogens
produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Underröjning i förstagallring. Cleaning of understorey trees before thinning. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- N Frank
Frank, N. 2006. Underröjning i förstagallring. Cleaning of understorey trees before thinning. Institutionen för skogens produkter
och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Vad tycker skogsägare om virkesinköpare och inköpsorganisationer? Private forest ownersópinion about forest purchaser and wood supply organisations. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- J Bergh
Bergh, J. 2006. Vad tycker skogsägare om virkesinköpare och inköpsorganisationer? Private forest ownersópinion about forest
purchaser and wood supply organisations. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Prislisteoptimering för ett sågverk – Jarlträ AB. Optimization of timber price lists for a sawmill – Jarlträ AB. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- J Åkesson
Åkesson, J. 2006. Prislisteoptimering för ett sågverk – Jarlträ AB. Optimization of timber price lists for a sawmill – Jarlträ AB.
Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Privata markägares reflektioner med hänseende till den minskade röjningsaktiviteten – så kan skogsvårdsstyrelsen anpassa sitt arbete. Family foresters' thoughts concerning the decreasing activity in precommercial thinning – how the Swedish forestry board can adjust its work
- F Karlsson
Karlsson, F. 2006. Privata markägares reflektioner med hänseende till den minskade röjningsaktiviteten – så kan
skogsvårdsstyrelsen anpassa sitt arbete. Family foresters' thoughts concerning the decreasing activity in precommercial thinning –
how the Swedish forestry board can adjust its work. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Entreprenörernas åsikter om Sydveds samarbetsförmåga. Forest contractors' opinion about Sydveds cooperation ability. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- C.-J Bengtsson
Bengtsson, C.-J. 2006. Entreprenörernas åsikter om Sydveds samarbetsförmåga. Forest contractors' opinion about Sydveds
cooperation ability. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Syns vi – finns vi !? – Marknadsföringsstrategier för Svenska FSC. Marketing Strategies for FSC Sweden. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- K Ek
- A Furness-Lindén
Ek, K. & Furness-Lindén, A. 2005. Syns vi – finns vi !? – Marknadsföringsstrategier för Svenska FSC. Marketing Strategies for
FSC Sweden. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Strategisk/Taktisk vägplan. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- J Wahn
Wahn, J. 2005. Strategisk/Taktisk vägplan. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Tillvaratagande av GROT i skärgårdsnära miljö. Extraction of forest fuel in an archipelago environment. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- B Söderström
Söderström, B. 2006. Tillvaratagande av GROT i skärgårdsnära miljö. Extraction of forest fuel in an archipelago environment.
Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Estonian logging companies -An exploratory survey of the Estonian logging companies. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- L Andersson
- E Kumm
Andersson, L. & Kumm, E. 2005. Estonian logging companies -An exploratory survey of the Estonian logging companies.
Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Stamprofiler – En jämförelse mellan två olika apteringslistor Stem profiles – A comparison between two different pricelists. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- M Grahn
Grahn, M. 2006. Stamprofiler – En jämförelse mellan två olika apteringslistor. Stem profiles – A comparison between two
different pricelists. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Affärsupplägg biobränsle Västerbotten -En undersökning av större biobränsleanvändares syn på biobränslemarknaden i Västerbotten. Business conditions for bio energy in Västerbotten – A survey of larger bio energy consumers' views of the bio energy market in Västerbotten
- P Johansson
Johansson, P. 2005. Affärsupplägg biobränsle Västerbotten -En undersökning av större biobränsleanvändares syn på
biobränslemarknaden i Västerbotten. Business conditions for bio energy in Västerbotten – A survey of larger bio energy consumers'
views of the bio energy market in Västerbotten. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Kartläggning och analys av försörjningskedjor, Setra Group – två fallstudier. Mapping and analysing the supply chain, Setra Group -two case studies. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- T Lundström
Lundström, T. 2006. Kartläggning och analys av försörjningskedjor, Setra Group – två fallstudier. Mapping and analysing the
supply chain, Setra Group -two case studies. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Skogsmaskiners bränsleförbrukning. Forest machines' fuel consumption. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- P Karlsson
- O Sylén
Karlsson, P. & Sylén, O. 2006. Skogsmaskiners bränsleförbrukning. Forest machines' fuel consumption. Institutionen för
skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Strategier för skogsägande i svenska skogsföretag. Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- C F Lagerholm
Lagerholm, C. F. 2006. Strategier för skogsägande i svenska skogsföretag. Institutionen för skogens produkter och
marknader, SLU, Uppsala
Alternativa skogsbruksmetoder i Norden – ett välbehövligt komplement? Alternative forest management regimes in Scandinavia – a well needed complement? Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader
- E Andersson
Andersson, E. 2006. Alternativa skogsbruksmetoder i Norden – ett välbehövligt komplement? Alternative forest management
regimes in Scandinavia – a well needed complement? Institutionen för skogens produkter och marknader, SLU, Uppsala